Power-actuated door assembly



Jan. 24, 1967 L. G. BOBROWSKI POWERACTUATED DOOR ASSEMBLY Filed July 14, 1964 I N VENTOR. LOU IS G. BOBROWSKI 7D ATTORNEYS 3,299,576 POWER-ACTUATED DOOR ASSEMBLY Louis G. Bobrowski, Berlin, Conn, assignor to The Stanley Works, New Britain, Conn, a corporation of Connecticut Filed July 14, 1964, Ser. No. 382,606

2 Claims. (Cl. 49501) The present invention relates to swinging doors and more particularly to an arrangement for converting a standard commercially available manual swinging metal door for actuation by a rotatable drive spindle of a power operator.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide an improved door arm arrangement for readily converting a fabricated metal door frame of standard con- 'out rhorein detail hereinafter. v

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combination of elementsand arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereafter. set forth and the scope of the application which will be indicated in the appended claims.

In the drawing:

FIG. lis afragmentary top view of a door incorporating this invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the door of FIG. 1, partly broken away and partially in longitudinal cross section, taken along line 22; and

FIG. 3 is an enlarged transverse cross sectional view taken along line 33 of FIG. 1.

Referring .now to the drawing in detail, a standard door frame of a manual swinging metal door embodying the present invention is fragmentarily illustrated as including an upright stile having side walls 10 which are welded, for example, at their upper end to side walls 12 of a cross rail, members 10 and 12 respectively adjacent a doorway jamb 14 and a top header 16 defining the doorway opening. Fixed to the walls 12 a short distance below the top of the cross rail is a horizontal mounting plate 18 which longitudinally extends from a lat-ch side of the door frame to a terminal edge 18a adjacent the stile. The top of the cross rail is thereby provided with a U-shaped recess comprising the mounting plate 18 having upstanding walls 12a and 12b.

According to the preferred embodiment of this invention, an elongated rectangular door arm, generally designated 20, is provided to pivotally connect the door frame to an output drive spindle 22 supported for rotation and extending vertically downwardly from a mechanical door operator, not shown, mounted above the door opening in the top header 16. The door arm 20 is desirably forged from a metallic material having a greater hardness than the upstanding walls 12a and 121) which are conventionally made of aluminum. It is to be understood that the particular arrangement shown is for illustrative purposes only and the door operator could be mounted, for example, in the threshold with its drive spindle extending upwardly to be received in a cross rail at the bottom of the door frame.

A spindle aperture 24 of suitable configuration is vertically extended through the body of door arm 20 so that the drive spindle 22 is readily received in the cross rail between the terminal edge 18a of mounting plate 18 and the stile wherein the pivoted end 26 of arm 20 is disposed United States Patent adjacent a pivoted side of the door frame. Arm 20 is extended horizontally beyond aperture 24 along mounting plate 18 toward the latch side of the door frame to terminate in an opposite swinging end 23.

The pivoted end 26 of arm 20 is bifurcated at 30 from aperture 24 to provide a clamp for spindle 22. A clamping boss 32 around aperture 24 extends generally coextensively with the sides of the bifurcated ends, the otherwise planar body of arm 20 thereby having substantially thicker end portions received between walls 10 of the stile to provide a greater area of engagement therewith as well as with spindle 22.

Adjacent spindle aperture 24 is a transverse aperture 34 extending through the clamping boss 32 and providing for' relative movement of the bifurcated ends of arm 20, one part of aperture 34 being internally threaded and the other part being counterbored for receiving a clamping screw 36 whereby the arm 20 can be rigidly clamped to the drive spindle 22 or removed therefrom as the occasion is warranted. A hole 38 is shown adjacent the pivoted end 26 of the arm 20 for receiving a drift pin to temporarily support the door upon removalof the spindle 22 In order to provide a tight fit between arm 20 and the cross rail, regardless of manufacturing variations, a plurality of protuberances or abutments 40 are formed on both sides of arm 20 between spindle aperture 24 and the swinging end 28. The abutments 40 are shown as being projected outwardly from the sides of arm 20 from opposed positions adjacent the spindle aperture 24 and the swinging end 28 and are dimensioned to provide arm 20 with an effective width exceeding the distance between the inner surfaces of cross rail wal-ls 12a and 12b encountered in various standard doors.

Since arm 20 is formed of a material having a greater hardness than walls 12a and 12b, localized points of interference fit are effectuated upon tapping arm 20 into position thereby shaving off the edges of walls 12a and 12b prior to providing further rigidity by fastening arm 20 at preselected intervals along its longitudinal axis to the mounting plate 18 by means of screws 42 which can be self-tapping for facile installation after fabrication of the door. As best seen in FIG. 3, outwardly converging sides preferably are formed on the abutments 40 to provide a lead angle facilitating installation of arm 20. If excessive interference is encountered, abutments 40 are readily filed to a suitable degree of closeness which preferably is between 20 and 30 mils interference. Thus an exceptionally tight fit is provided to prevent relative movement between arm 20 and the door frame. In the event it is necessary to remove the arm 20, a prying instrument, such as a screwdriver, is readily received between the plate 18 and the swinging end 28 in recess 29. Any positioning which may be required to center the door from an offset position is desirably accomplished by the adjustment of limit switches in the door operator.

It will be noted that two of the screws 42 fastening the arm 20 to mounting plate 18 are closely spaced adjacent spindle aperture 24 to provide additional strength in the area about the pivotal axis. Opposed internally threaded bores 44 and 44' in the bifurcated boss portion 32 near the pivoted end 26 are transversely extended toward one another for receiving machine screws 46 fixing arm 20 to the walls 10 of the stile after clamping. Both the side walls 10 of the stile and the ends of the bores 44 and 44 are shown as being countersunk for receiving the heads of screws 46. Pads 48 and 48' surround bores 44 and 44' and are suitably configured and dimensioned to support the side walls 10 of the stile upon final tightening of the screws 46. This arrangement thereby results in the reinforcement of the connection between the cross rail and its adjoining stile by arm 20 at the critical pivotal axis for distributing stress, particularly that created by powered door opening and door closing movements. This is of particular importance since it may be necessary to remove a portion of the plate 18 and portions of the weld between the cross rail and its adjoining stile in preparing the door frame for receiving the clamping boss 32.

It is apparent that the door arm of the present invention may be used with door frames of conventional construction and eliminates need for expensive, specially fabricated door frames. When assembled the arm is compeltely concealed within the door frame. In this connection, the arm may also be installed upside down if desired in those doors normally having higher upstanding walls for receiving the upwardly projecting boss portion. In addition to being easily installed, the door arm is held in place with suflicient strength and rigidity to withstand strenuous usage over extended periods of time. Moreover, in the event the door has to be separated from its operator, the door arm is readily removable from the drive spindle of the operator as well as being easily detachable from the frame of the door.. Inasmuch as the door arm is of unitary construction, it is particularly economical to manufacture and possesses exceptional strength.

As will be apparent to persons skilled in the art, various modifications and adaptations of the structure above described will become readily apparent without departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In combination with a power-actuated door assembly wherein a rotatable drive spindle vertically extending from a door operator provides a pivotal axis for a door which includes a frame having a stile and cross rail connected thereto adapted to receive the spindle adjacent the stile, the cross rail including a longitudinally extending U-shaped recess formed by a horizontal mounting plate and upright walls, a door arm for pivotally connecting the door to the spindle comprising an elongated rectangular body received within the cross rail,'the body having a pivoted end disposed within the adjoining stile adjacent a pivoted side of the door and an opposite swinging end extending toward a latch side of the door, the body having a spindle aperture proximate its pivoted end, a clamping boss formed on the body around the aperture and longitudinally extending substantially in alignment with the sides of the body to thereby engage the spindle and the stile, and fastening means fixing the body to the mounting plate and the clamping boss to the stile thereby reinforcing the connection between the cross rail and its adjoining stile adjacent the pivotal axis.

2. In combination with a power-actuated door assembly wherein a rotatable drive spindle vertically extending from a door operator provides a pivotal axis for a door which includes a frame having a stile and cross rail connected thereto adapted to receive the spindle adjacent the stile, the cross rail including a longitudinally extending U-shaped recess formed by a horizontal mounting plate and upright walls, a door arm for pivotally connecting the door to the spindle comprising an elongated rectangular body received within the cross rail, the body having a pivoted end disposed within the adjoining stile adjacent a pivoted side of the door and an opposite swinging end extending toward a latch side of the door, the body having a spindle aperture proximate its pivoted end, a clamping boss formed on the body around the aperture and longitudinally extending toward the pivoted end substantially in alignment with the sides of the body to thereby engage the spindle and the stile, a plurality of protuberances on opposed sides of the body adjacent its swinging end and the aperture, the protuberances formed of a material having a greater hardness than the walls on the mounting plate and dimensioned to project beyond the inner surfaces thereof to provide an interference fit between the door arm and the cross rail upon being forced into gripping engagement therewith, and fastening means fixing the body to the mounting plate and the clamping boss to the stile thereby reinforcing the connection between the cross rail and its adjoining stile adjacent the pivotal axis.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,933,036 2/1960 Beyrle 20l6 2,972,788 2/1961 Shean 20l6 3,115,665 12/1963 Cecala 20l6 X 3,115,685 12/1963 Wheeler et al. 20l6 3,148,407 9/1964 Glasbrenner 20l6 X 3,200,913 8/1965 Nelson 189-36 HARRISON R. MOSELEY, Primary Examiner.

KENNETH DOWNEY, Examiner. 

1. IN COMBINATION WITH A POWER-ACTUATED DOOR ASSEMBLY WHEREIN A ROTATABLE DRIVE SPINDLE VERTICALLY EXTENDING FROM A DOOR OPERATOR PROVIDES A PIVOTAL AXIS FOR A DOOR WHICH INCLUDES A FRAME HAVING A STILE AND CROSS RAIL CONNECTED THERETO ADAPTED TO RECEIVE THE SPINDLE ADJACENT THE STILE, THE CROSS RAIL INCLUDING A LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING U-SHAPED RECESS FORMED BY A HORIZONTAL MOUNTING PLATE AND UPRIGHT WALLS, A DOOR ARM FOR PIVOTALLY CONNECTING THE DOOR TO THE SPINDLE COMPRISING AN ELONGATED RECTANGULAR BODY RECEIVED WITHIN THE CROSS RAIL, THE BODY HAVING A PIVOTED END DISPOSED WITHIN THE ADJOINING STILE ADJACENT A PIVOTED SIDE OF THE DOOR AND AN OPPOSITE SWINGING END EXTENDING TOWARD A LATCH SIDE OF THE DOOR, THE BODY HAVING A SPINDLE APERTURE PROXIMATE ITS PIVOTED END, A CLAMPING BOSS FORMED ON THE BODY AROUND THE APERTURE AND LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE SIDES OF THE BODY TO THEREBY ENGAGE THE SPINDLE AND THE STILE, AND FASTENING MEANS FIXING THE BODY TO THE MOUNTING PLATE AND THE CLAMPING BOSS TO THE STILE THEREBY REINFORCING THE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE CROSS RAIL AND ITS ADJOINING STILE ADJACENT THE PIVOTAL AXIS. 